A locally owned shop with a world of style

This holiday season, as you choose meaningful gifts for your loved ones, please consider how your gift can also have a positive impact on the lives of the people who are sharing their craft and skills with you. At Quarter Moon, we have made a commitment to searching for fair trade products, continually increasing our fair trade offerings and educating the community about the principles of fair trade and why it matters.

This year 100% of our ornaments are Fair Trade. They range from paper craft to cloth to metal work, but all are beautiful and all are contributing to the empowerment of artisans and communities across the planet. Please check with our staff to be directed to other fair trade items. We are currently working with over 20 Fair Trade companies and have jewelry, purses, crafts, scarves, hats, socks and much more to show you.

Here is a description of fair trade principles and just a few pics of our fair trade ornaments and a few fair trade gift ideas. Holiday giving is fun and can have a big impact on the lives of both the gift maker and the receiver!

It is debatable whether it is wise or appropriate for a business to declare their political/social values to the public. Corporations do declare their support and money all the time. Most small community based businesses, perhaps wisely, keep their politics out of their business. For the most part, we have followed suit. Quarter Moon supports community events and nonprofit organizations, but we have stayed out of the fray of most debates about politics.

That stops now. As the owner of this business, I want you to know who I am as a woman, and as a business owner in this community for 27 years. I want you to know what I support. I want you to know what I am against. These are my values. In light of the recent election, I am taking my fear, my anger and my sadness and I am making a commitment. I am making a commitment to fearlessly and loudly and relentlessly fight for what I believe in. I am using social media as a starting point, but I am pushing past the numbing effect of social media and I will be handwriting letters to our elected leaders, I am showing up at marches, I am supporting, campaigning and voting for candidates whose values most closely align with my own. I am setting up small affordable monthly automatic payments to organizations that work for the causes I believe in. After this election, I realize more than ever that as a citizen, I have a responsibility to try to build the type of community and country I want to live in. As a business person, I feel I also have the responsibility to use my community connections to try to build an open civil dialogue and a network of support for communities that are threatened by hate and fear.

Here is a starting list of what I believe in. If this affects your interest and willingness to shop at our business, I understand. I’ll tell you right up front, we do not tolerate RACISM, BIGOTRY, XENOPHOBIA, SEXISM, ABLEISM or HOMOPHOBIA within our walls. Quarter Moon is a safe place for all and we are keeping it that way.

Here goes…

I believe in LGBT RIGHTS and policies in our public and private institutions that protect the LGBT community from discrimination and harassment.

I believe in REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM, the right to safe legal abortion and access to free/ affordable birth control.

I believe in PAYING TEACHERS WELL and encouraging dedicated professionals to guide their profession in ways that help to build critical thinking skills in their students. I believe we need to bring back civics lessons, PE, Art and Music. I believe we need to add conflict resolution skills, cultural sensitivity and anti- bullying programs to curriculums across the country.

I believe there is an AFFORDABLE DAY CARE crisis for working families. I believe in day care subsidies based on a sliding scale where day care does not exceed a reasonable percentage of income.

I believe that we need to talk more openly about SEXISM, how pervasive it is and how hard it is for women to call out sexist behavior without fear of being labeled in negative ways. I believe we need to include men in these conversations and we need to teach our daughters and our sons to respect all equally regardless of gender/gender identification.

For god sakes, I BELIEVE IN CLIMATE CHANGE! Environmental stewardship is the greatest gift we can give to our children and grandchildren. It’s everything.

I believe in HUMANE IMMIGRATION POLICIES that provide a path to citizenship and that do not tear apart families. I believe in appreciating and rewarding immigrants, legal or illegal who take on the back breaking work of providing us with handpicked fruits and vegetables.

I believe we need to reach out to people of Muslim faith to increase understanding, fight stereotypes and let them know they have support in our community.

I believe in STANDING STRONG in support of our Native American communities across our country, protecting their land rights and supporting their struggle to save the environment from further degradation.

I believe we need to commit to continued CONFLICT RESOLUTION TRAINING, cultural sensitivity training, trauma counseling and updated safety equipment and support for our police force. Our police forces put their lives on the line every day and they need our support. Our many loyal good cops need a safe procedure to be able to weed out racists and overly aggressive bad cops without fear of retribution or their own safety.

I believe in PROVIDING SANCTUARY to families fleeing ISIS. This is an enormous human crisis and we are standing by while families suffer in ways we can only imagine.

I believe in SCIENCE.

I believe in businesses being encouraged through tax incentives to INCLUDE EMPLOYEES in meaningful PROFIT SHARING.

I believe in the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement. Until we acknowledge that there are differences in the way black citizens are treated in our country and work to change that, we are leaving our citizens of color behind and building divisiveness that is destructive to all of us.

I believe in SOCIALIZED HEALTH CARE system, based on a free to sliding scale contribution, with no pre-existing conditions.

I believe in RELIGIOUS FREEDOM for people of ALL FAITHS and NO FAITH.

I believe that it is patriotic to “TAKE A KNEE” when you feel that you need to and patriotic to respect that right even if you are holding your own hand over your heart.

I don’t believe corporations deserve the same rights as PEOPLE.

I believe in employing all PEACEFUL solutions first to our world problems and also in protecting the most impoverished and vulnerable humans on our planet.

I believe in supporting ART and MUSIC as a healing force in our community.

I believe that we each have to WORK HARDER for what we believe in, share our philosophies of how to get to a better place and respect those who vote their conscience and vote for what they believe in.

I believe we need to LISTEN more and ENGAGE in face to face civil discourse with those who have different viewpoints. A face to face discourse that is free from disrespect and stereotypes is welcomed any time.

With fall upon us, everyone is looking through their closets to pull out last year’s favorites. Old faves are great, but consider this… Bell sleeves are in and you can mix this new trend easily with basics from your closet. Many top designers, from Alexander McQueen to Giambattista Valli showed off the Victorian inspired bell sleeve in their collections this year.

Today a lot of women are replicating the 70’s feel by pairing their bell sleeve blouses with flared jeans. Rock an even more a more dramatic 70’s look when you layer your sleeves with a vest and throw on a pair of our circle sun glasses. A bell sleeve blouse can also take you from day to night when paired with a pencil skirt and a simple heel.

Quarter Moon has many options when it comes to this new trend. We have an assortment of blouses in different patterns and solid colors. If you find dresses to be a better fit for your style, we’ve got plenty of those too. Leave it flowy… or add a belt to your bell sleeve dress. Throw on some tights and boots for the cooler weather. One of our most popular items is our new sunflower top. Perfect with a pair of dark jeans and lace up boots. Come check out all the new arrivals at Quarter Moon and add something fun and dramatic to your 2016 fall wardrobe!

So many of us find the elephant to be an endearing creature. Elephants hold cultural significance in many societies, representing strength, power, fortune, good luck and longevity. In India elephants are found in the form of the Hindu god Ganesha who provides prosperity, fortune and success. Ganesh is also known as a symbol of protection, and as a remover of obstacles of both the material and spiritual kind. Some Asian cultures believe elephants to be cosmic creatures that carry the world on their backs. South African’s use elephants in their coat of arms to stand for wisdom and eternity.

We are very excited to carry a new clothing line called Elephant Pants. Beautifully printed elephant designs adorn these comfortable easy fit pants. A portion of The Elephant Pants revenue goes towards aiding the African Wildlife Foundation which supplies park rangers with better training supplies to apprehend ivory poachers, as well as paying African land owners to keep their land open to wildlife instead of selling to developers. They also support efforts to protect Asian Elephants and provide funding to the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand. The Elephant Pants company is in the process of receiving fair trade status which insures that the wages and work conditions of their employees are fair and safe.

Join us in celebrating these beloved animals that bring so much joy to the people around the world. Stop by the shop to try on some elephant pants and browse our selection of elephant inspired gifts, home decor and jewelry. Feel good about your purchases which support their protection and fair trade!

Sometimes time moves really slowly and sometimes a date creeps up on you so fast it can make your head spin. Today is one of those days that has been on the calendar for a long while, but it is still a shocker to all of us and we are in a bit of denial. It is Allison’s last day at Quarter Moon. Allison spent over two years with us, working a robust part time schedule while completing her Bachelors in editing, writing and social media. While many of you have been greeted by Allison as a kind, helpful, straight forward sales person behind the counter, Allison has been equally behind the scenes as our blogger, our photographer and our social media coordinator.

Here is the thing about Allison. She changed us. She made us better. Through her photos and her blog, she became our historian and fostered both our connection to our community and our connection to each other. Allison has a deep curiosity about people and a genuine interest in social change and progress. We will miss her camaraderie and excitement over our extra curricular community activities. She has been a wonderful partner in both the day to day and the bigger picture stuff too.

Tonight we will have drinks and toast to Allison’s success as she prepares to find her fame and fortune in the world of publishing in New York City. There is a flock of former (but forever our family) Quarter Moon staffers who are living and working in New York. They are ready and waiting to shelter her through her big move. It makes us all happy to think of how our Quarter Moon family sticks together wherever they may be. Allison has a big heart and a great talent. New York is lucky to get her and we wish her the moon and beyond, but damn, it is hard to say goodbye. Here for you always Allison! The tribe.

One year ago today an unexpected storm blew threw Tallahassee and caused a tree to crash on Quarter Moon. The tree may have left an open wound in the store’s roof, but it also created questions and uncertainty among the QM staff and community. Would the fallen tree mark the end of Quarter Moon, a 26 year-old Tallahassee staple? Or would QM grow from the event stronger than ever?

“I will never forget driving up to Quarter Moon moments after a huge old pine tree came crashing down on our little cottage shop. It was a moment that changed the course of our business and also the lives of all of us who work at Quarter Moon,” Wendy Halleck, QM owner said.

Wendy Halleck, QM Owner

After a night of chaos of shoving merchandise into boxes and once the tree was removed, we were able to assess the true damage. The QM staff spent a few days packing the remaining products to keep in storage. Once everything was moved out, the store felt like a clean slate.

While QM was closed for just under 40 days due to the reconstruction of the store’s roof and interior, various pop-up shops were organized around the Midtown area to help keep the business afloat. None of us could forget the first pop-up shop at Krewe de Gras, where the support from the community was prevalent and everyone’s hopes were upbeat. After 2 more pop ups at Lucy and Leos Cupcakery and the Manor at Midtown, NAI TALCOR generously gave us a temporary store front at Capital Plaza until we could reopen at Lake Ella. Their gift of a temporary place for Quarter Moon to call home kept us going and kept us all employed!

Pop-up shop at Lucy & Leos Cupcakery

“I definitely would not want to go through it again, but in so many ways, I am profoundly grateful for that experience. That time was filled with many daily challenges and what seemed like endless hours of very strenuous labor,” Halleck said. “Most impactful however, was experiencing the outpouring of community support and the deepened relationships between all of us at the shop as we picked up the pieces and put them back together.”

August 8th we were finally home again. The store reopened with a fresh coat of paint, new merchandise, sturdy support beam, a different layout, but with the same spirit and vibe we’ve all come to love. Without the community’s support, QM would not be standing tall today.

“I am forever indebted to my family, our loyal customers, our landlady Ginny Chandler, the Tallahassee business community, and most especially the powerful, spirited women I work with at Quarter Moon who always said ‘YES, we can do this!’” Halleck said.

To commemorate this unforeseen, yet rewarding experience, the QM staff plans to keep the store with them forever by getting quarter moon tattoos next week. Stay tuned for another blog post featuring the QM ladies ink!

We want to thank the Tallahassee community for rallying with us and helping Quarter Moon continue to be a staple in the city. We couldn’t have asked for a better tribe.

With summer already in full swing, the Quarter Moon girls wanted to share some of our summer staples. Everyday we obsess over our vibrant sun dresses, colorful home decor, and intricate jewelry. Each staff member handpicked their favorite product and what makes it a must-have for any summer outing.

Wendy’s Pick

“I love this [necklace] because it is locally made by one of my favorite artists. I love knowing about the extensive handcrafting that goes into this piece, and it goes with everything you want to wear.” –Wendy Halleck, QM Owner

Lisa’s Pick

“I love Mara Mugs because they’re handmade in Mexico; they come in so many fun designs that there is a perfect mug for anyone. They’re a nice thick ceramic that keeps your beverage hot, but also great for chili or ice cream too. I have my morning coffee everyday from my Mara Mug. It’s the best way to start my day.” –Lisa Folmar, QM Buyer and Manager

Katie’s Pick

“I love our tapestries because of the variety in colors, sizes, and styles we have. I probably have too many, but they’re so versatile! I hang one on my wall, keep several in my car as picnic/beach blankets, and use several as sheets. I love the different printing techniques (block printing and batiks) and several use all natural vegetable dyes!” –Katie Haggerty, QM Buyer and Manager

Megan’s Pick

“These bags literally carry a small piece of Mayan culture. I love that they are made from recycled handmade textiles and embroidery. If you’re the least bit crafty, you can see the artistry and craftsmanship. These textiles are made using thousands and thousands of threads and hours of work. They are everything I want in a product.” –Megan Milla, QM Buyer and Manager

Allison’s Pick

“I bought a mid-length Jedzebel wrap skirt just a few weeks ago, and I can easily say that it changed my life. I can’t stop playing with it and creating new styles every time I pull it out of my closet. I wear it a few times a week, but it’s a different piece of clothing each time. I wear it as a sleeveless dress and high-waisted skirt; it never gets old.” –Allison Kridle, QM Social Media Consultant and Key Holder

Alycea’s Pick

“I’ve never loved something more than these tie dye pants. I’m constantly wearing them to work, around the house, or even to the pool. Culture Shop (the brand behind these babies) hand dyes all of their pieces, and the colors last for years after hundreds of washes. Not only do I have pants, but tops and dresses as well!” –Alycea Favreau, QM Social Media Consultant and Key Holder

Courtney’s Pick

“I love Wishlist bralets because they are so comfortable yet stylish! They come in so many different colors and lace designs. They’re a great alternative to regular bras and I never want to take mine off.” –Courtney Piper, QM Key Holder

Rebecca’s Pick

“I love QM’s socks because we have so much variety. They come in the coolest color combinations making them the perfect gift. There is truly a pair for any inside joke you could think of, or pick a pair for yourself and curl up with a good book on a rainy Florida afternoon!” –Rebecca Clendinen, QM Social Media Consultant

Take on summer with these special products, or come into the store and find your own favorite summer essential!